2012 Bueng Khong Long - Phu Tok

Gerhardveer

Member
Joined
Mar 31, 2013
Location
Roi Et / Thailand
Bikes
Yamaha Dragstar 1100cc classic / Honda Phantom
coming on 227/222 from Kalasin


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Three days I rode with the bike through Eesans northeastern edge which is a rather low populated region with beautiful landscapes and still rather natural vegetation. It's an ideal region for "eco-tourists" and a wonderful spot for a slow and cozy biking on a comfortable chopper - speed drivers will probably end in one of those holes you sometimes find and feel....

First part brings us to Bueng Khong Long and Phu Toc:

Bueng Khong Long:

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13km's long and 2km's wide - a big lake. It was built as a fresh water reservoir 1976 - 1979 and is since 1981 registered as a wetlands area of international ranking - for example many species of water birds come here from the north to hibernate. There's also a small peninsula where you can walk and see the natural vegetation of the waterside or watch birds and you can there also make a boat trip. Some nice restaurants you find at the western banks - they allow to rest and eat, while guarding playing kids.... The lake is ideal for water sports , fishermen and nature loving people. Can be reached by following the highway 212 from Nong Khai to Bueng Kan and further to Bueng Khla. Then take a rigth turn onto road 2026 and follow it until you reach Bueng Khong Long.

Bueng Khong Long N17 58.223 E104 02.620
Peninsula N18 01.412 E104 00.838
beach restaurants N17 59.081 E104 01.538
need room etc.? http://www.isaan-travel.com/lakeside...20page%201.htm

Phu Toc:

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N18 13.625 E103 48.445

Situated about 50 km's northwest of Bueng Khong Long you see a huge rock of red sandstone overtopping the green plain. Around it's vertical declining walls there are seven surrounding most wooden catwalks which you mount on arduous stairs. It's a real "stairway to heaven" which symbolizes the seven steps of buddhistic enlightenment. On the top you walk through the small forest - but pay attention, on the edges there are no balustrades, you can easily have a cost-free flight to Nirwana... It is one of the most breathtaking places I have ever been - walking on those wooden planks and some 50-60 or more meters high between sky above and nothing beneath is incredible and absolutely nothing for someone with acrophobia! You should start with good shoes in the early morning (still cool) and be in a good condition - don't forget a big bottle of water AND YOUR HANDY for emergency case... There are nearly no strangers - that region of Thailand is still really "unseen" and - as most of Thaipeople don't like exhausting things - I was up from the 3rd floor completely alone except some workers and two monks ( they were astonished at the fact to meet a 62 years old farang with a 12kg-photoequipment up there) - it's been just WONDERFUL

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wallclimbers

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I'll will be big some day...

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to the light

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ON THE TOP!!

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going down - colours and forms of sandstone

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Absolutely beautiful Gerhard & welcome to the non-commercial riding forum for Asia! Apologies for the sign-up issues and we appreciate your patience.


What camera and lenses are you using? You get some great depth of field shots, I presume with something like a 80-200mm zoom lens?



Thanks for posting this Isaan story a new area for most.
 
I never had problems like that in uploading - but I know that in the internet you can look for the solutions of problems you never had without internet....
compihau.gif
NO PROBLEM - shit happens sometimes...
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I started photographing when I was 10 years - now I'm nearly 63. Twenty years (1970 - 1991) my passion was scubadiving and underwater photography. At that time I used the Canon F1 SLR...

I digitized a lot of them:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.108537592543659.12775.100001622563665&type=3
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.108540092543409.12777.100001622563665&type=3
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.112809902116428.15242.100001622563665&type=3

Up from 2004 I changed to digital photography - after a lot of changes caused by the rapid development of the cameras I "landed" again at CANON. And since some years I have the fullsize-bodies CANON EOS 5D II and EOS 1Ds III - my lenses include zooms from 12-400mm and two macro lenses 50 and 100mm. My favorite lens is the CANON 70-300mm/L IS USM, followed by CANON 100-400/L IS USM....
I only take pics in RAW and treat them with Photoshop CS5.

More questions: ASK
a007.gif
 
I never had problems like that in uploading - but I know that in the internet you can look for the solutions of problems you never had without internet....
compihau.gif
NO PROBLEM - shit happens sometimes...
blaues_auge.gif
bussi_herzchen.gif



I started photographing when I was 10 years - now I'm nearly 63. Twenty years (1970 - 1991) my passion was scubadiving and underwater photography. At that time I used the Canon F1 SLR...

I digitized a lot of them:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.108537592543659.12775.100001622563665&type=3
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.108540092543409.12777.100001622563665&type=3
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.112809902116428.15242.100001622563665&type=3

Up from 2004 I changed to digital photography - after a lot of changes caused by the rapid development of the cameras I "landed" again at CANON. And since some years I have the fullsize-bodies CANON EOS 5D II and EOS 1Ds III - my lenses include zooms from 12-400mm and two macro lenses 50 and 100mm. My favorite lens is the CANON 70-300mm/L IS USM, followed by CANON 100-400/L IS USM....
I only take pics in RAW and treat them with Photoshop CS5.

More questions: ASK
a007.gif




Your photo's are superb.


If all my Nikon camera gear was stolen, i would buy a Canon 5D Mk III, I wish i'd gone the Canon route in a way. The 1D s III must be heavy to carry around for a few hours??
 
I got used to it - all my equipment in the backsack has 12 kg. In Roi Et people only know me with the 1Ds III - if I don't "wear" it they ask me if I'm sick....
 
Welcome Gerhard and thanks for putting up some great pictures, nice comfortable dependably bike too.
 
Marvelous photos...and breathtaking climb up the he rock formation
I've ridden through much of Issan...and your photos revealed an area that will be added on the 'to-do' list.
Thanks..
 
Have had a few people ask about travelling to Wat Phu Tok and Bueng Kan-Bueng Khong Long-Seka area, so i put this together..


To make it more interesting i've shown a loop starting in Nong Khai through Bueng Kan-Seka and back to Udon Thani.
The road from Udon to Seka is most uninteresting but the one along the Mekong quite picturesque.

https://www.google.com.au/maps/dir/...a466c5a03900!2m2!1d102.805339!2d17.404159!3e0

Points of interest..(place marked on the above map)..

Wat a Hong Siliwas 18.422866, 103.472329
Wat Phu Tok 18.128042, 103.878716
Wat Pa Don Mo Thong 18.04886,103.9874
Bueng Khong Long lakeside restaurants. 17.986853, 104.024468
Western bar and restaurant Seka (straight across the road from the 7/11). 17.928503, 103.949965
Acommodation 17.925289, 103.952297

At Seka the View Inn on the right is the one i prefer but there's also the Saowalux Villa's across the road that has decent bungalows and free wifi...both around 400baht/night and clean and tidy.

https://www.google.co.th/maps/@17.9...4!1sI4mdfsYs1XsBwwEX9jyl_w!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

The western restaurant has great steak sourced from Sakhon Nakhon and generally good western food.

https://www.google.co.th/maps/@17.9...4!1sccQFmQVIJ0_jyDXIk3KClQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656


Scienic ride around the lake Bueng Khong Long...

https://www.google.co.th/maps/dir/1...,103.9612868,23117m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m2!4m1!3e0



There's also Channon and Chet Si waterfalls to have a look at.


Wat Pa Don Mo Thong is no big deal but has huge lovely old trees around it....lovely setting.



My suggestion would be leave from Nong Khai and spend a night in Seka and back to Udon Thani the next day,about a 2 1/2 hour ride.

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Thanks for the info Lew to an otherwise boring ride from Nong Khai to Udon Thani, accommodation and eating venue noted..
 
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